What are the responsibilities and job description for the Electrical Principal Engineer - Cables & Optics position at Dell Technologies?
Job Description
Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) builds the products that power infrastructure, solutions, and data management our customers need most. Our teams design and develop the hardware and software that connect infrastructure, accelerate computational workloads, integrate across the stack, protect data continuity, and deliver the platforms, applications, and diagnostics our customers rely on every day at enterprise scale.
Some product builders follow the rules. Ours rewrite them.
Within ISG, innovation isn't just about creating new technology- it's about challenging assumptions and reimagining how work gets done. Engineers define intent, author precise specifications, and orchestrate AI agents that execute at speed and scale. AI is embedded throughout our development process, helping us move faster, learn quicker, and deliver greater impact. Yet the most important contribution remains uniquely human: deciding what to build, designing how it should work, and applying the judgment needed to earn our customers' trust. When your products power critical infrastructure around the world, that responsibility matters.
We move quickly toward the work that matters most. We reward experimentation, encourage bold thinking, and remove unnecessary barriers so great ideas can become reality faster. Our teams embrace a customer-first, first-to-market mindset, transforming rapid feedback into better products and better outcomes. We aren't looking for people who are content with the status quo- we look for builders who question it, improve it, and occasionally rewrite it.
If you're energized by solving complex systems challenges, excited to work alongside AI to amplify your impact, and motivated by the opportunity to shape what's next instead of simply maintaining what's been done before, you'll find your place here.
Electrical Principal Engineer - Cables & Optics
Join us as a Electrical Principal Engineer on our Cables & Optics team onsite in Santa Clara, CA to do the best work of your career and make a profound social impact.
What you'll achieve
As an Electrical Principal Engineer in Cables & Optics, you will be responsible for driving the qualification, deployment, and technology strategy of high-speed optical and copper interconnect solutions for Dell's next-generation Network L11 platforms. As part of the Cables & Optics team, you will work closely with C&O technologists, system architects, hardware and software engineering teams, suppliers, and operations organizations to develop and deploy rack-scale connectivity solutions that enable AI, cloud, and high-performance networking infrastructure. You will lead the qualification and interoperability of optical transceivers, DACs, AECs, and AOCs across server-to-switch, switch-to-switch, and rack-to-rack deployments, collaborate with suppliers and internal teams to resolve complex system-level connectivity challenges, and help define technology roadmaps, qualification methodologies, and deployment best practices to ensure reliable and scalable network solutions.
Responsibilities
You will:
Qualifications
Take the first step towards your dream career
Every Dell Technologies team member brings something unique to the table. Here's what we are looking for with this role:
Essential Requirements
Desirable Requirements
Compensation
Dell is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The salary range for this position is
Benefits and Perks of working at Dell Technologies
Your life. Your health. Supported by your benefits. You can explore the overall benefits experience that awaits you as a Dell Technologies team member - right now at MyWellatDell.com
Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) builds the products that power infrastructure, solutions, and data management our customers need most. Our teams design and develop the hardware and software that connect infrastructure, accelerate computational workloads, integrate across the stack, protect data continuity, and deliver the platforms, applications, and diagnostics our customers rely on every day at enterprise scale.
Some product builders follow the rules. Ours rewrite them.
Within ISG, innovation isn't just about creating new technology- it's about challenging assumptions and reimagining how work gets done. Engineers define intent, author precise specifications, and orchestrate AI agents that execute at speed and scale. AI is embedded throughout our development process, helping us move faster, learn quicker, and deliver greater impact. Yet the most important contribution remains uniquely human: deciding what to build, designing how it should work, and applying the judgment needed to earn our customers' trust. When your products power critical infrastructure around the world, that responsibility matters.
We move quickly toward the work that matters most. We reward experimentation, encourage bold thinking, and remove unnecessary barriers so great ideas can become reality faster. Our teams embrace a customer-first, first-to-market mindset, transforming rapid feedback into better products and better outcomes. We aren't looking for people who are content with the status quo- we look for builders who question it, improve it, and occasionally rewrite it.
If you're energized by solving complex systems challenges, excited to work alongside AI to amplify your impact, and motivated by the opportunity to shape what's next instead of simply maintaining what's been done before, you'll find your place here.
Electrical Principal Engineer - Cables & Optics
Join us as a Electrical Principal Engineer on our Cables & Optics team onsite in Santa Clara, CA to do the best work of your career and make a profound social impact.
What you'll achieve
As an Electrical Principal Engineer in Cables & Optics, you will be responsible for driving the qualification, deployment, and technology strategy of high-speed optical and copper interconnect solutions for Dell's next-generation Network L11 platforms. As part of the Cables & Optics team, you will work closely with C&O technologists, system architects, hardware and software engineering teams, suppliers, and operations organizations to develop and deploy rack-scale connectivity solutions that enable AI, cloud, and high-performance networking infrastructure. You will lead the qualification and interoperability of optical transceivers, DACs, AECs, and AOCs across server-to-switch, switch-to-switch, and rack-to-rack deployments, collaborate with suppliers and internal teams to resolve complex system-level connectivity challenges, and help define technology roadmaps, qualification methodologies, and deployment best practices to ensure reliable and scalable network solutions.
Responsibilities
You will:
- Drive L11-level qualification and interoperability of optical transceivers, DACs, AECs, ACCs, and AOCs across server-to-switch, switch-to-switch, and rack-to-rack networking deployments
- Work closely with the Cables & Optics development team to validate new products, resolve technical issues, and ensure successful integration into Network L11 solutions
- Perform system-level testing, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis of connectivity issues involving cables, optics, NICs, switches, and AI networking infrastructure
- Collaborate with architecture, hardware, software, manufacturing, and supplier teams to ensure connectivity solutions meet performance, reliability, scalability, and deployment requirements
- Define and drive L11 qualification methodologies, interoperability standards, and deployment best practices while influencing future connectivity technology adoption and roadmaps
Qualifications
Take the first step towards your dream career
Every Dell Technologies team member brings something unique to the table. Here's what we are looking for with this role:
Essential Requirements
- 8 years of experience in high-speed networking, optical transceivers, cable technologies, and datacenter infrastructure, with expertise in rack-scale and system-level connectivity solutions
- Deep understanding of optical and copper interconnect technologies, including DAC, AEC, AOC, OSFP, QSFP-DD, co-packaged optics, and emerging technologies supporting AI and high-performance computing (HPC) networks
- Proven experience defining qualification strategies, interoperability requirements, and deployment guidelines for server-to-switch, switch-to-switch, and rack-to-rack connectivity in large-scale datacenter environments
- Strong technical leadership skills with experience driving cross-functional alignment across hardware, software, system architecture, suppliers, and operations teams, while influencing product and technology roadmaps
- Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex system-level issues involving cables, optics, NICs, switches, and AI networking infrastructure, working closely with ODMs, silicon providers, and connectivity suppliers
Desirable Requirements
- BS in Electrical Engineering or a related field; MS or PhD preferred
- Experience with AI, HPC, InfiniBand, Ethernet fabrics, and L11 rack-scale networking architectures, including liquid-cooled and high-density deployments
- Established relationships and working knowledge of the datacenter connectivity ecosystem, including major optics, cable, switch, silicon, and NIC suppliers
Compensation
Dell is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The salary range for this position is
Benefits and Perks of working at Dell Technologies
Your life. Your health. Supported by your benefits. You can explore the overall benefits experience that awaits you as a Dell Technologies team member - right now at MyWellatDell.com